Editor Mr.Mayank Rawat ( Chief Editor Mr. Rohit Mishra )
New Delhi: Union health minister JP Nadda took a dig at political opponents on Thursday, saying the ruling parties that did not implement the Ayushman Bharat scheme in their states were voted out of power, asserting that it is West Bengal’s turn next.
Addressing a gathering after the signing of the MoU to implement the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana in Delhi, Nadda said three states refused to implement the Ayushman Bharat scheme. “One was Odisha, where the previous govt fell and the lotus (the BJP’s poll symbol) bloomed. The second one was Delhi, where the govt was voted out of power and the lotus bloomed. Now, only one state — West Bengal — remains. There too the lotus will bloom and the govt would be ousted,” Nadda, who is also the BJP national president, said. He said govts that do injustice to people do not survive.
Nadda said after the Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi allocated Rs 64,000 crore for ramping up healthcare infrastructure to deal with Covid-like emergencies and therefore, the PM-ABHIM was implemented in 2021-22.
He said as part of the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), Delhi was allocated Rs 2,406 crore, but the previous AAP government even went to the Supreme Court to prevent its implementation.
Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta said health has always been a priority for the BJP-led Centre. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said that with the distribution of the cards, his party’s biggest electoral promise made ahead of the 2025 assembly polls has been fulfilled. “In other states, the beneficiaries of the Ayushman card can get free medical treatment up to Rs 5 lakh. In Delhi, they will be able to receive free treatment worth up to Rs 10 lakh annually,” Sachdeva said. “Delhi BJP will run an awareness campaign at the municipal ward level to encourage people to get Ayushman cards issued,” he added. BJP’s South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said nearly 36 lakh people in the capital will start getting free treatment under the scheme. He added that chief minister Rekha Gupta has assured in a meeting of all minsters, MPs and MLAs that special camps will be set up to help people register under the scheme.
AAP, called the Ayushman Bharat scheme a “scam” and accused BJP of sabotaging Delhi’s “world-class” healthcare model. “Over 80% of patients in Delhi govt’s hospitals come from neighbouring BJP-governed states where Ayushman Bharat is operational. This is the proof of the scheme’s total failure,” AAP’s chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said. “The per capita income in Delhi is 3.5 times the national average. Minimum wages are the highest in the country. To avail the benefit of Ayushman Bharat, people should not have a fridge, air-conditioner, mobile phone, or a scooter,” she added and questioned how many in Delhi will actually benefit from the scheme.
Mayank Rawat
